Numbers 10
by Pastor David Groendyk

This chapter serves as a transition in the book of Numbers. The very last preparations are made for the people at Mount Sinai, and then the whole population moves out to go to the Promised Land.

The final preparation for the people of Israel is the making of two silver trumpets (vv. 1–10). Like many of the rules and regulations given to Israel, these trumpets may seem like monotonous details at first, but pay attention to the purposes for which they were used. The trumpets gathered the people for worship (v. 3), summoned the leaders for counsel (v. 4), rallied the people to war (v. 9), celebrated the beginning of feasts (v. 10), and gave specific signals for when each tribe would leave the camp (vv. 2, 5, 6). In one sense, these instruments were a more precise and practical means of moving this huge nation in sync. In another sense, they were a profound, tangible, regular reminder for the people that they belonged to the Lord. They called the people to worship, they were a plea and prayer for God to remember them in their need, and they reminded the people that God alone was their deliverer and true warrior. There can be no greater reminder for the nation of Israel as they’re about to physically wander through the wilderness, and there can be no greater reminder for Christians as we figuratively wander through the wilderness. Are spiritually preparing yourself as you journey to the Promised Land?

Numbers 10:11 marks a turning point in the book. Israel had spent nearly a year encamped at the foot of Mount Sinai being prepared by God, and now they’re finally marching out. As they leave, Moses entreats Hobab his brother-in-law to join them (vv. 29–32). This conversation feels a bit out of left field, but if you know your Bible, there is deep meaning to it. Moses’ father-in-law (and brother-in-law) is from a sub-group of Midianites, who was one of the enemies of Israel that was a perpetual thorn in their side. Their sub-group was called the Kenites, and the Kenites pop up at important points in Israel’s history. Although it’s left unstated whether or not Hobab joins Israel, the later testimony of Scripture implies that he does. In Judges 1:16, the Kenites settled in Canaan with the tribe of Judah. In Judges 4:17, Jael (yes, that Jael! The one who nailed a tent peg into Sisera’s head) was married to a Kenite. Finally, in 1 Samuel 15:6, a passage we read in our morning worship service a couple weeks ago, the Kenites were spared from being destroyed along with the Amalekites because they had shown kindness to Israel.

Moses’ conversation with Hobab is the precursor to all of these events. Hobab the Midianite joining Israel is a picture of an enemy brought into the camp and saved. Hobab heads a family who would bless Israel and in turn be blessed by God. In this sense, it’s a fulfillment of the promise God made to Abraham in Genesis 12: “And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” What a tremendous expression of grace! At the outset of Israel’s march to the Promised Land, all of God’s people are reminded that there is a much bigger plan and greater purpose in mind. So it is with the church today. We must be reminded continually that our mission as individual believers and as the church is to take the gospel out and welcome the outsider in. Are you accomplishing this mission as you journey to the Promised Land?

Finally, verses 33–36 reinforce the need for God’s presence to be with God’s people. The people do not move unless the ark of the covenant has already gone before them to seek out a resting place. The ark of the covenant scattered their enemies. The ark of the covenant gave rest to the people. Unless God had commanded it, unless God went before them, and unless God was with them, they were doomed to fail. And notice with what great confidence Moses speaks his prayers! The Lord had promised his presence, and Moses boldly and confidently pleads with God to be true to his word. That confidence will be short-lived if you read ahead to chapter 11. But in the face of the sinful failures of Israel and our own selves, the truth should be hammered home even harder. We need God to deliver us from our sin, protect us from our enemies, and give us rest. Put your hope in him, and he will bring you safely to the Promised Land.